Dialkylmagnesium compounds are well known in the art. However, the production of soluble dialkylmagnesium compounds, free of solvation and chloride, by the direct reaction of magnesium with a halide, has heretofore been accomplished only recently.
U.S. Pat. No. 3,737,393 teaches hydrocarbon soluble alkyl magnesium-alkyl aluminum complexes prepared by interaction of certain organo-aluminum compounds with the reaction product of magnesium and certain alkyl halides.
Various organo-aluminum - organo-magnesium complexes have been prepared by reaction of a trialkylaluminum compound with a desolvated (ether-free) Grignard reagent, by electrolysis of mixtures of alkali metal tetraalkylaluminates using a magnesium anode, and by the reaction of dialkylmagnesium compounds, prepared via the mercury-magnesium exchange method, with trialkylaluminum compounds. The complexes prepared by these processes have low Mg/Al ratios, in the range of 0.5 to 1.0 depending upon the stoichiometry of starting materials.
The electrolysis method requires the use of mixed R.sub.4 AlM compounds (M=alkali metal) in a molten state and the preferred temperature range in 100.degree.-125.degree. C. See for example, U.S. Pat. No. 3,028,319. This temperature range precludes the preparation of complexes which may be easily pyrolyzed, for example, when R=isobutyl. Furthermore, complexes with Mg/Al ratios greater than 0.5 are not produced by this procedure.
It is an object of the present invention to prepare hydrocarbon soluble organo-magnesium complexes, including those complexes containing the normally insoluble lower dialkylmagnesium compounds suitable for use as co-catalysts for the polymerization of olefins, diolefines, or olefin oxides.
It is another object of the present invention to prepare organo-magnesium complexes wherein the Mg/Al ratio is about one or greater. Other objects of the present invention will become apparent from the description contained below.